IoT World Wrap Up

Skyhook recently exhibited at the Internet of Things World conference and exhibition in the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. The conference is billed as the "World's Largest IoT Event" which, after attending, is a claim I can't dispute.

The show touts 11,000 plus attendees with more than 250 exhibitors and 400+ thought-leading speakers. Skyhook had a booth near the entrance to the exhibit hall and the show traffic was non-stop with meaningful conversations with IoT heavy hitters like Comcast, Samsung, General Electric and Cisco, among others.

Coupled with the opportunity to present our precision location solution to potential suitors and partners was the occasion to learn more about the IoT landscape in general from the many sessions and tracks offered at the conference.

Here are some key trends worth following as observed by our team:

IoT is exploding

The statistics regarding the scope of IoT quoted in the various presentations are staggering - 26 billion connected devices by 2019, $4 trillion in IoT related revenue, 500 connected devices per user by 2022. Unlike some lofty projections for other technology disruptions in the past, IoT so far is living up to the hype.

Security is a major concern

Lots of connection points into various back office or analytical systems coupled with a lack of definitive security standards and practices equates to lots of risk from cyber-attack, fraud and data piracy. Securing data, protecting privacy, locking-down payments, and protecting infrastructure were key themes promoted by companies like NASA, AvNet, Coca Cola and LinkedIn.

Carriage technologies are still fragmented

The industry has not settled on the best method to connect IoT devices. LoRa, NB-IoT, Sigfox and LTE-M are still in play, but it seems that LoRa has the most momentum. Several companies mentioned LoRa as part of their IoT strategy and the LoRa Alliance is clearly the most active and influential organization pushing any single alternative forward.

Ecosystems are evolving

While it's clear that there are several influential players filling various parts of the IoT value chain, the end-to-end ecosystem is still fluid. New players continue to emerge and existing or assumed players continue to develop and unveil their strategies as to where they fit in the IoT puzzle. Small and large participants like Samsung, IBM, Electric Imp and Skyhook are trying to establish their own ecosystems through partnerships and marketplaces.

Some verticals are more advanced

While IoT offers benefits for most industries and verticals, the Industrial (i.e. IIoT), Healthcare and Smart Cities verticals are receiving the most buzz.

Location is key

With billions of devices floating around communicating important data back to various analytical systems, it's often critical to know where those devices are located. Companies like Orange, Kore, and John Deere all mentioned location in their conference presentations.

The business case, use-case, device form factor and capabilities, and carriage technology are all key elements that can determine which location method or methods best fit your IoT initiative.